OLYMPIA — Desire Video owner Levi Bussanich, who has proposed expanding his business into a “sex emporium,” said he plans to move forward with his concept after meeting with city officials Wednesday, although he still hopes he can bring a grocery store chain to the Pacific Avenue property instead.
Bussanich’s morning meeting with city officials was a presubmission conference, a recommended but not required meeting where developers can get preliminary feedback about their building plans.
Bussanich raised eyebrows in October when he submitted a presubmission application to the city to expand his business into the Olympia Sex Emporium, increasing it by nearly 15,000 square feet and adding more adult entertainment, such as strippers, live sex shows, an “adult motel” and a customer drive-through.
Desire Video at 3200 Pacific Ave. is a 10-year-old adult-video business, Bussanich said.
At the nearly one-hour meeting, Bussanich met the city officials with his attorney and an engineer.
Olympia associate planner Brett Bures said the meeting was “business as usual,” a chance for Bussanich to meet with a planner, engineer, urban forester, building official and a fire marshal about his project.
A presubmission meeting does not vest a project with the city, Bures said. After Wednesday’s meeting, Bussanich’s next step would be to file a more formal land-use application with the city, including a site plan, landscaping plan and a traffic impact analysis, he said. Once that has been received, it would trigger a 20-day public comment period, Bures said.
“The morning meeting went very well,” said Bussanich, adding that if all goes as planned, “we should be well open by this time next year.”
He acknowledged city officials were curious about the drive-through and made one clarification about his proposal, saying the “live sex shows” could only be simulated sex shows, according to state law. The drive-through would be used to pick up and drop off video rentals, Bussanich said.
WinCo
Bussanich awaits an Olympia hearing examiner ruling that, if favorable, could result in a different plan. Bussanich seeks a wetlands buffer reduction that might clear the way for Boise-based WinCo Foods to build a store near Desire Video. WinCo still has the property under contract, he said.
But if the examiner rules against the buffer reduction request, then Bussanich will move forward with the emporium. He added that it will be jointly developed with an undisclosed national operator of adult businesses. “We are going to be expanding,” Bussanich said.